A new book is scheduled to be released shedding light on the 1973 assassination of Governor Sharples. We understand that it contains serious allegations, and even implicates the “son of a powerful Bermudian politician as a participant who was directly involved in the assassination.”

From previews it appears that public figures who may be mentioned, criticized or in some manner implicated in the incident, may include former Attorney General Phil Perinchief, Ottiwell Simmons jr, former Premier Jennifer Smith, Mel Saltus, Bobbie Greene and Charles De Shield.

Entitled Assault on Law and Order in Bermuda, 1972-1973: The Assassination of Governor Sir Richard, the book is reported to be released in a few weeks. Barnes and Noble say they will have it available on May 6 at a cost of $45, and it also being sold online through e-tail giant Amazon.

The quotes below are some of the most controversial ones taken from an excerpt of his first draft which originally was to be entitled The Black Panthers: Their Dangerous Bermudian Legacy.--

The role the Black Berets played in the assassinations has been whitewashed by consecutive Bermudian Governments for three decades

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In 1972 the Black Berets began to compile a “hit-list of the Bermuda ‘pigs’ ” they intended to execute. They also began to stockpile weapons including pistols and shotguns

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Tacklyn had fled Bermuda after the assassination with Black Berets Ottiwell Simmons Jr. and Charles De Shields.

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The Scotland Yard files do not simply infer a conspiracy to murder the Police Chief and Governor. They actually name a third person, the son of a powerful Bermudian politician, as a participant who was directly involved in the assassination

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Black Beret leader John Hilton ‘Dionne’ Bassett had been seen practice firing a .38 revolver, the same type of weapon used to kill the Governor.

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It would behove black leaders like Jennifer Smith, a former Premier, to cease characterizing the Black Beret Cadre as “freedom fighters”.

-The book promo for the final draft says:

During the 1970s, a black power organization in Bermuda conspired to bring about social change “by any means necessary,” including assassination. This is the first full account of the murders and the Black Beret Cadre, the revolutionary group whose activities resulted in mayhem throughout the island.

Published by McFarland & Company, the book was penned by Mel Ayton. Mr. Ayton has a master’s degree in history from Durham University and has worked as a college lecturer and deputy headmaster.

Mr. Ayton is not Bermudian, nor do we understand him to have any real connection to the island. An experienced author, he has written a number of books, many of which center on conspiracy theories.

Other books by Mr. Ayton include:

Questions of Conspiracy [1999]

Questions of Controversy: The Kennedy Brothers [2001]

JFK Assassination, The: Dispelling the Myths [2002]

A Racial Crime: James Earl Ray And The Murder Of Martin Luther King Jr.[2005]

The Forgotten Terrorist: Sirhan Sirhan and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy [2007]

The Forgotten Terrorist: Sirhan Sirhan and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy [2008]

Dark Soul of the South: The Life and Crimes of Racist Killer Joseph Paul [to be released in 2010]

Barnes and Noble and Amazon say they will have it available on May 6 at a cost of $45, and we can probably assume that it will be available at a local bookseller.

Governor Sharples and his ADC Hugh Sayers were shot during this month in 1973. The Bermuda Police have never named the Black Beret Cadre as being involved in the murders. For a non biased overview of the assassination of Sir Richard Sharples and the subsequent prosecution of Buck Burrows, see here.